“My daughter just told me she has anxiety—how do I respond?”

We’ve all heard the word “anxiety” before…but what does it mean in a mental health context? What does anxiety look like for today’s teenager? This week’s Tips On Teens question is from a parent wondering what to do after a conversation about anxiety with her daughter:

“My daughter told me she has anxiety and that it’s making high school really hard. She’s 15 and she’s never had a problem with this kind of stuff before. I’m honestly not sure what she means by “anxiety”—she’s always been a confident and outgoing kid. How am I supposed to respond to this?”